


all for one

by georgiehensley



Category: Stargirl (TV 2020)
Genre: (don't worry the poly only applies to the kids not pat), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, Introspection, Pre-Poly, Superheroes, Team Bonding, Team as Family, still generally rick-centric though, this was supposed to be team comforts rick but it turned into pat adopts the starsquad instead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:54:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24890386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/georgiehensley/pseuds/georgiehensley
Summary: After a bad fight against Sportsmaster and Tigress, Rick reassesses his inheritance of his father's powers and his place in the JSA. In the process, he comes to see the team in a brand new light.
Relationships: Rick Tyler & Courtney Whitmore & Beth Chapel & Yolanda Montez & Pat Dugan
Comments: 13
Kudos: 81





	all for one

**Author's Note:**

> i feel like i suck at summaries, but basically this is like my fill for the comment left on my last fic where the team comforts rick after the fight in 1x06. it kinda became less poly-oriented and more general team bonding. and me projecting my need for pat to step up and adopt the team already. come on, robot dad, embrace your new son and daughters!

Rick knows it's his destiny to become a superhero. The hourglass worked for him for a reason; he _is_ Hourman's son, after all.

But after his first official fight against members of the ISA, he's starting to second guess the universe's plans for him.

It's his own damn fault, really. He acted without thinking. He planned to go after the Gambler without receiving any real fight training beforehand. 

He should have known better. And he's learning his lesson the hard way as he stands in Pat's garage, a lingering ache in his abdomen from the baseball bat that was thrown at him, his other parts of his body feeling sore, and the taste of his own blood still fresh in his mouth.

He tries to hide it, to stifle his soft grunts of pain, resist wincing as he moves about.

But of course, when Courtney finishes talking to Pat, she notices. She's really the mother hen of the team.

"Rick, are you okay?" she asks, eyebrows raised in concern. Next to her, Pat looks equally as worried, which creates an unfamiliar feeling in the pit of Rick's stomach. He concludes it's guilt.

"I'm fine," he says anyway. He swats at the air as if to dismiss Courtney, attempting to walk past her, only to have a sharp pain strike through him, causing him to groan out of instinct.

"He's lying," Beth comments. "I'm not even wearing my goggles, and I can tell."

"You should lie down somewhere," Yolanda says, taking ahold of Rick's arm. "Is there anywhere he could rest? Like a bench or something?"

"There's a couch on the deck, if you can get up the stairs," Pat says. "Otherwise, I think the backseat of my car might be the most comfortable."

"Guys, really, I'm okay," Rick insists, even as another strike of pain shoots through him, causing him to stumble. Courtney grabs onto his other arm.

"No, you're not," she says firmly. "Come on, you need to rest."

Rick stops resisting as he's ushered towards Pat's car, the back doors opened. He slides in and lies back against the seats. His legs still dangle outside the vehicle, but… it's better. At least, when he's lying flat and stops moving. Of course, the act of lying down still hurt him a bit. 

"Can we get him any sort of Advil? Or Tylenol? Aspirin?" Courtney's asking Pat as she stands by Rick's feet.

"I don't usually keep that sort of thing in here," Pat answers. "But I might just have an emergency stash somewhere." He walks away to go search for some painkillers.

"How do you feel?" Yolanda asks Rick. She's on the other side of the car, kneeling by Rick's head. He doesn't bother to strain to look at her.

"Better," he admits. "Lying down helps. Though, I have no idea how I'll explain why I'm suddenly in so much pain to my uncle."

"Don't go home tonight," Courtney says. "You can stay with us. In my room, I can take the couch for one night."

"You don't have to do that," Rick protests.

"I want to," Courtney says. She places a hand on Rick's knee. "It's what good teammates do."

Rick smiles.

"I couldn't find any painkillers," Pat says as he rejoins the group. "But I did find a bag of frozen peas in the freezer. You'd be surprised how well they work as an ice pack."

"Thanks, Pat," Rick says as Pat hands the bag to him. Rick places the bag against his stomach, but the cold doesn't seep through the suit enough for any relief. He lifts the top, and the team gasps at the sight of purple bruises against his skin.

"Oh, Rick," Courtney says.

"That looks really bad," Beth adds.

"Please, it's not my first fight," Rick says. "I mean, it _was_ my first time getting a baseball bat thrown at me while I was holding up a car, but it's definitely not the first bruises I've gotten there."

"School fights?" Yolanda asks.

Rick shakes his head.

"Your uncle?" Pat asks.

Rick nods.

"Okay, we are never sending you back there. Ever. You live with us now," Courtney says.

Rick laughs dryly. "I have to go back at some point. He's gonna come looking for me. Probably." His gaze drifts to the car ceiling as he thinks about whether or not his uncle would actually care enough to look for him, or if he'd be glad to finally be done with him.

"I can handle that," Pat says. "No one deserves to live in that sort of environment." He lifts his gaze, glancing at Yolanda and Beth. "That goes for you two. If there are any problems at home, you are more than welcome to come stay with us. I'll have to get some air mattresses or cots, but we have plenty of room in the basement."

"Yeah," Courtney chimes in. She looks across the top of the car towards Yolanda, who bites her lip.

"Would you mind if I took you up on that offer?" she asks. 

"Not at all," Pat says. "Our home is your home. Team rules."

Courtney smiles.

"I'm alright for now," Beth says. "I mean, it can get kind of lonely in the house, with my parents' schedules, but I'm okay. At least I have Chuck to keep me company."

"Well, just say the word, and you can stay with us," Courtney says. "No offense, but I think we might be better company than an AI."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Beth says. "Your house is really nice, too."

Courtney laughs.

"So, is that gonna be like our official headquarters?" Yolanda asks. "Your house?"

"No," Courtney says. "The JSA has an official headquarters. We'll head there when the time is right."

"Sounds good to me," Yolanda says back. She smiles, as does Courtney, Beth, and Pat.

Even Rick can't help but smile a little, a warmth in his chest that he hasn't felt in years. For so long, he was on his own, neglected by his uncle. But even after a failed fight against members of the ISA, he hasn't been forced back into loneliness. He has a team now. And a new home.

And suddenly, his destiny becomes clearer to him. He wasn't just meant to become a hero, he was meant to become part of a superhero _team_. 

And maybe, just maybe, his team may become his family too.


End file.
